Middle East - Anthony Ham [406]
Sadly, the audience is dwindling. Abu Shady says that nobody has the time to listen to stories anymore, although ever the optimist, he told us that the new generation ‘are starting to get bored with satellite TV and internet and they are returning to stories’. We asked Abu Shady what the future is for the hakawati: ‘It will die not because of a lack of interest, but because no one wants to take such a low-paying job.’
Even so, he hopes that his son, Shady, who already deputises when Abu Shady travels overseas for international festivals, will follow in his footsteps. Shady told us he stands ready to ensure that the era of the Arab storyteller doesn’t end when his father hangs up his tarboosh.
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SHOPPING
In the new part of town, the place to head for all manner of locally crafted souvenirs is Handicrafts Lane, a small shaded alleyway adjoining the Takiyya as-Süleimaniyya Mosque, just south of Sharia Shoukri al-Quwatli. Off the lane is a Turkish madrassa, now a handicraft market (Map), where the former student cells are occupied by traders and craftspeople happy to demonstrate their skills at engraving and painting.
The Old City is awash with souqs. Apart from the bustling Souq al-Hamidiyya (Map), the main souq in the city and with a wonderful atmosphere, the tributary souqs are roughly demarcated into specialties, one handling clothes, another sweets and spices, another jewellery, yet another stationery items and so on.
For handicrafts, some of the better shops are those along Sharia Hanania in the far east of the Old City, or along Sharia Medhat Pasha (Straight St), east of the Roman arch.
One excellent place for antiques is Dahdah Palace (Click here), with a range of artefacts recovered from demolished Damascene houses.
For a range of beautiful and highly original handcrafted boxes, visit Ezrat al-Harastani (Map; 541 2602; Sharia al-Qaimariyya), just east of the Eastern Temple Gate.
If you’re looking for the famous Damascene sweets to take back home, you could try the stalls selling individually wrapped nougat-and-pistachio items in Souq al-Bzouriyya (Map), the sweet shop (Map) on the corner of Sharia al-Kallaseh and Sharia Amara Jouw, or the sweet shops (Map) on Martyrs’ Sq, with great pyramids of baklava to choose from.
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GETTING THERE & AWAY
Air
Several SyrianAir offices are scattered about the city centre; one convenient office (Map; 245 0097/8) is on Saahat Hejaz, just opposite the train station.
Most of the other airline offices are grouped across from the Cham Palace Hotel on Sharia Maysaloun, or one block south on Sharia Fardous.
Bus & Microbus
There are two main bus stations in Damascus: Harasta Garage (Karajat Harasta, also known as Pullman Garage), offering Pullman bus services to the north and international services to Turkey; and Al-Samariyeh Garage (Karajat al-Samariyeh), which has services to the south (eg Bosra) and departures for Jordan and Lebanon. In addition there are several other minibus and microbus stations serving regional destinations.
HARASTA/PULLMAN GARAGE
Harasta/Pullman Garage (off Map) is about 6km northeast of the city centre. All the big private bus companies have their offices here.
Al-Kadmous runs a 24-hour service to Aleppo every hour on the hour (S£160, five hours); to Deir ez-Zur (S£200, six hours, hourly from 6am to 2.30am); 14 buses to Homs (S£70, two hours, from 6.15am to 8.15pm); to Hama (S£90, 2½ hours, four daily); to Tartus (S£110, 3½ hours, hourly from 5.30am to 11pm); and to Palmyra (S£150, four hours, hourly from 6am to 2.30am).
Al-Ahliah has services to Aleppo (S£150, hourly between 6am and 8pm), and to Lattakia (S£150, 4½ hours, five daily).
If you’re travelling to Turkey, Hatay has Pullman services to Antakya (S£300, eight hours) and İstanbul (S£1300, 36 hours), leaving at 10pm daily. JETT buses also